Federal and local law enforcement officers continued yesterday to praise a program they say has helped rid the streets of some of the city's most violent criminals.
Nearly 200 Baltimore defendants were charged last year with federal crimes through Baltimore Exile, an initiative designed to combat illegal gun possession, according to statistics released yesterday by the Maryland U.S. attorney's office.
Federal prosecutors charged about 30 percent more people with firearms-related crimes last year than in 2006.
Under another aspect of Project Exile, federal prosecutors threaten to transfer cases to federal court if they're not resolved at the state level.
Prosecutors said they sent letters to 36 defendants arrested by local police on gun charges, threatening them with federal prosecution if they don't plead guilty in state court. The prosecutors said 28 people pleaded guilty to the state charges to avoid tougher federal sanctions.
This month marks the second anniversary of Exile, which calls for a coordinated effort among a number of local and federal agencies, including the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore state's attorney's office and the Maryland Division of Parole and Probation.
Maryland U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said authorities will focus this year on gangs and outreach efforts in middle schools. At a news conference yesterday, he was joined by Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and Baltimore police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III.
"Our goal is not to prosecute more people," Rosenstein said. "Our goal is to do what we need to do to make sure there is less and less crime."
Jessamy said afterward that the coordination between the city's departments has improved significantly under Mayor Sheila Dixon, and that the policing strategy of focusing on the most violent offenders is working.
brent.jones@baltsun.com